


Face, Hair, Eyes, Voice

by ScoreCounter



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Embarrassment, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-04-30 19:52:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5177633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScoreCounter/pseuds/ScoreCounter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Same Reasons, Different Meta-Reasons.<br/>Cause, effect, and then the effects effect.<br/>Souji and Yosuke get into a fight so tense that Souji has no choice but to let it all out. Yosuke knows, but feels like he has no choice but to run. However, when he realises he has a choice...<br/>Also called Pushed into The Closet. Yeah, that was awkward.<br/>A one-shot that is a mash up of P4 characters and plot with the general idea of the Castle Season 4-5 bridge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Face, Hair, Eyes, Voice

Everything should have been calm. It should have been okay. And yet, everything was still at risk. Yosuke was over at Souji's place, discussing the chain of murders. It wasn't Namatame, that had been established... however, there was the nagging feeling that still haunted them... _still_ haunted them now, that an any given moment, another person that they care about could be taken away into the night, and that the entire vicious cycle would start again. Time was running out, they both knew that. And yet, even with the moment getting closer and closer, neither of them had any clue what was going on. It was the early evening now - Yosuke was considering heading off home, but...  
"Partner?"  
"Yosuke?"  
"... I think I should go to the other world again..."  
"...Why?"  
"Well... I was just thinking..."  
"That's rare."  
"Shut up! It's just that... well, none of us have headed over on our own before, and I was wondering-"  
"Yosuke, no." His voice was firm, and shocked - in the sort of "Why would you even think that" way.  
Yosuke clammed up. It wasn't just Souji that was skittish. The entire group was uneasy with going into the TV World, especially with what happened to Nanako... Even if they had been feeling more and more immune to the effects of the fog as time went on, the possibilities...  
"...I... I'm just curious. I can't help it."  
"You're going to the liquor store again, aren't you?"  
Yosuke looked pained. He couldn't let it go. Not at all. "So? Namatame didn't do anything to Saki-Senpai, so there-"  
"-Might be something different?"  
"Exactly."  
Souji groaned with his head in his hands. "Yosuke... let go."

Only a few things struck Yosuke's nerves. That was one of them. "Let _what_ go!?"  
Souji instantly recognised his mistake. "Sorry, that's not what I meant..."  
"Not what you meant?" Yosuke braced his hands onto the kitchen side. "It's _exactly_ what you meant, bastard."  
Souji's eyebrow quivered slightly. "You think I'm a bastard? After every single time I listened to your ranting, when I went and risked my life for you, not to mention the fact that I've never gone anywhere in the other world without you, and you think I'm the bastard?"  
"For fuck's sake, Souji, get a grip."  
Souji recoiled in disgust. "Get a grip?! Yosuke, please, stop a moment and think! Say you go into the other world, and say you get stuck there, then what? You die? How's that supposed to help anyone?"  
Yosuke paused in thought briefly. "Who even cares anyway? I can't seem to get a single thing done right in class, everyone seems to see me as just..."  
Souji's eyes narrowed. "Just what?"  
"...Like you even care."  
"Like hell I do." Souji's voice remained as normal and as placid as ever, barely wavering, yet the burning emotion behind the expression still blazed out. "If no-one else, I care."  
"Why? Why do you even bother with me? I die, It's a minor inconvenience at worst."  
"Don't you dare say that."  
"I'm sick of you just... protecting me all the time!"  
"Partner!"

Memories flashed through Yosuke's mind, bringing a warmth with them...

They receded, as quickly as they came, like a tide leaving the beach.

"...I'm going."  
Yosuke got up and walked quickly towards the door, but was quickly blocked by Souji.  
"...You're not going to stop me."  
"Yosuke..." Souji looked like he was in so much pain right now...  
"Get out of my way."  
"No. I won't. I'm not going to stand here and let you die."  
"You don't have to protect me all the damn time!"  
"Yosuke, when will you realise that you're the one protecting me!"  
"Then damn well let me, idiot!"  
"No! I can't!" Souji was raising his voice now, on the edge of breaking.  
"Why! Why do you care so much!" Yosuke was shouting, but you could see the faint gatherings of water gathering at his gland.  
"... You know why."  
"I never know, Souji! I've had enough of people lying to me and being with me false pretences, and I've had enough of being treated with false niceties, so either you let me go now, or you tell me why the bloody hell you care so fucking much." Yosuke was gritting his teeth.  
Souji finally burst. "Because I love you!"  
Yosuke kept his anger for a moment, before slowly recoiling in shock. "What...?"  
Souji calmed himself down, and swallowed. "You heard me. I love you. I love _you,_ your personality, your desire for righteousness, your kindness, your aptitude for getting yourself in trouble, your face, your hair, your eyes, your voice..."  
Yosuke reeled back even further, confused.  
"..." Souji's eyes were starting to glisten. "... I guess you can go now."  
"Huh?"  
"Just leave and forget about me, Yosuke. Forget everything I said." Souji walked back to the couch and lay down.  
"...I'll be back." Yosuke walked to the door.  
"... No you won't."  
Unsure how to respond, Yosuke opened the door.  
"Goddamnit, Yosuke..."  
The door clicked closed, and there was no-one there to see his tears anymore. He sprinted up the stairs, running into his room, and locking the door. He hurriedly reached under his futon and grabbed a small object from beneath it. A small bottle, filled with random white capsules. They were prescribed to him shortly before he left - pollen relief, or something. Insignificant, but enough to make him pass out, make him forget, make it all seem like a bad dream, he was pretty sure. He just wanted to forget everything that had happened this past week, all the pain... He shakily emptied the small bottle into his hand, fondling the pills with his thumb, gently, just enough to mix them in his hand.

'Wait!'

All of a sudden, he threw all of them onto the floor, clutching his head whilst images of everyone else he had befriended over the last year flashed through it. He didn't want to disgrace himself by resorting to such a desperate measure.  
'...I should call Dojima."  
He looked at the scattering of white capsules around him.  
'...I should definitely call Dojima.'

* * *

Yosuke wasn't sure how he'd gotten there. Junes was closed this late at night, and he wasn't exactly self-aware up until this point. But he was here now. Thankfully Teddie had left the exit up from the last time they were all here...

"Why did I run like that? I knew everything he said was true... Damnit... I'm such a screwup... I...

I didn't lose him, did I? Over a girl that couldn't even care less about me? I've known it for a while..."

 _Yosuke was passed out... he couldn't remember when it was, he just remembered feeling so weak, and so helpless..._  
_"Yosuke!" Hands wrapped around his shoulders, desperately shaking... "Stay with me, Yosuke... Please!"_  
_"Yosuke?! Yosuke..." He faintly felt breath on his ear, and a voice that was unmistakably Souji's whispering._  
_"Please... Yosuke, get up... Yosuke... I love you."_

He remembered... he remembered the entire time... and the entire time he ran. Ran from what he secretly wanted for some time now because what about Nanako? What about the other victims? Am I still hung up on Saki-senpai? Did I ever like her in the first place?  
Questions... Answers...  
He sighed loudly, the sound reverberating around the small store. He kinda got it, in a way, why Saki didn't... appreciate working at her father's store - the expectation, the family honour... but, then again, she made it worse for herself when running away...

"Damnit..." Yosuke regretted having that thought. He swore he would try to avoid that fate, to face everything head on...  
And then there was the fact he loved Souji. It seemed that it was indeed a very easy thing to do. But... he had fallen in love before. Almost, anyway. And look how that turned out. Death... Only Death... Merely Thirteen...

Yosuke was pondering in the eerie, fog filled silence, thinking...  
"Wait... Shadows appeared beyond the red walls everywhere else... Why don't they appear here?"  
It was true. There was no sign of any Shadows anywhere in the Liquor store. The only Shadow that had appeared there was... his own... He momentarily figured it was because of the size... no, that didn't make sense...

...Making Sense...

Yosuke quickly hurried to the other side of the red wall, looking around. It was almost identical to that section of the shopping district...  
And now that he thought about it... The other room that they saw... Yamano's... that looked a lot like the rooms in the Amagi Inn...  
Castle... Bath house... Striptease... Laboratory....  
The first two rooms were grounded in reality, whilst the others were all how they felt the world to be... what they wanted it to be...

He had forgotten the way to most of the other ones, but he could remember the route to the most make-believe one of them all...  
Heaven.

Dimmed yellow eyes looked at him from the darkened corner of the store. Unlike what would seem like what befitting a Shadow, his face was turned down into a concerned frown, as he stepped out of the darkness to slowly and quietly pursue his doppel.

* * *

 

"How's Nanako?"  
"Stable. They... they don't think she's going to be strong enough to go out of the hospital for a few weeks."  
"...No news is good news, I guess."  
"Yeah. And... thanks. Again."  
"..."  
"... I told him."  
"... Hanamura?"  
"Yeah."  
"While he was awake this time?"  
"Very."  
"He... didn't take it well?"  
"...I... I don't know."  
"... Did he say anything?"  
"He said he'd be back..."  
"Back from where?"  
The silence from the other end of the line told Dojima all he needed to know.  
"Look... I really don't want to talk about this, but... now that all this has happened..."  
"He didn't scream at me. He didn't cry or anything... he just said that 'He'd be back'."  
"Yeah... but now the question is, do you want him back? Is the only reason you've been hiding this this whole time that you didn't think it'd work?"  
"...The impossible often has something to it that the merely improbable lacks."  
"... I see... Look, I... I think we both need our rest. Turn up the stereo if you need to, but... don't wake the neighbours, alright? I should be out in a few days. I can talk more then."  
"Sounds good. Oh, and... thanks."

* * *

 

"What is it about this place that's different?" Shadows weren't a figment of the imagination. They were very real, an interpretation, more likely, of intense human emotion leaking through the cracks. Yosuke wondered, briefly, on how many he had given birth to. More or less than the common man? It was true that not all shadows were born of whole negative thought - Teddie was proof enough of that - but what happened to those? He vaguely remembered something about Teddie having to hide every time the fog lifted - the very thought was enough to make him shudder...

He had to leave soon, that was for sure. But, for now, the quietest place for him was amongst the voiceless.

...He dismissed that thought as soon as he could, not wanting it to dwell any longer.  
A noise rang out from behind him, a sort of uncomfortable groan, something like discomfort. He turned around, but nothing showed. He shook his head and cleared his mind. He didn't want to stay here any longer than he had to. He turned around and ascended the stairs as fast as he could, in as guarded a position as he could.

"What am I doing?" Suddenly, the Shadow felt something inside him buckle. It still felt odd to refer to someone, even your doppel, in the first person, as true as it may be. The Shadow kept his feet quiet, trying not to distract the attention of... well, himself. Apparently even common sense wasn't a part of his body anymore. Such intense emotion stirred within him... but he was cursed with the wisdom to hold it in.

* * *

Souji paced around the bedroom, carefully replacing the capsules inside the bottle, taking care not to split any. To be honest, he wasn't sure why his parents had bought him capsules... he was more of a caplet guy, but I digress. Anything to think of, the monotony of picking up pills and folding up envelopes... he felt so tired that he couldn't do much more - he lacked the concentration for origami, and that for translation... he sat, concentrating merely on the lines along which he was folding, making sure they were as clean as possible. A slight miscalculation caused him to knock over a pile of completed envelopes. He didn't have the energy to feel angry or frustrated, so he gathered them up, placed them back where they stood, and carried on...  
and on...  
and on...

* * *

 

Yosuke was starting to feel nervous and fatigued. He had run so far, evaded so many Shadows, and not one thing. No one thing that might indicate why the first two were different, why Namatame's incidents ran so differently. It would make sense for it to be something related to the person, right?

...After all, couldn't you say he and Chie were pushed in by Souji? They didn't get any sort of... lair at all, their Shadows just formed. Same with Teddie, in a way... a Shadow's Shadow... But, then again...

"Ugh... this is pointless..."  
He was right. He was onto something, he was sure of it, with how every dungeon formed differently depending on who shoved them in... Kubo may be an exception, but he was a bit of a psychopath anyway. But, true or not, it was still a curvebreaker.

 

 

It happened so suddenly in the midst of his thoughts. Without any prior warning, he felt a strong shove from behind him, causing him to roll off the edge of the corridor. Instinct took over, and his arms locked onto the edge as steadfast as they could. His mind was reeling, shaken, but he still heaved, trying to get at least one leg up, get some sort of balance. However, no sooner than he had gotten enough altitude to get his head above the floor, his arms were kicked away in swift order, leaving him dangling by his fingers. There was no way that he would be able to gather enough energy to pull himself back up. Slowly, he heard steps receding... Damnit... he knew he should have cleaned up Namatame's Shadow before hanging around here casually...

"No... Not here, not now, damnit!" Yosuke was viciously clawing for space on the limited landing, but he could already feel his knuckles slipping. "Damnit... Souji!?" He had no idea whilst he was calling out for that name. It was like it gave him comfort, hope for a rescue that would never come.  
"Souji!"  
It was hopeless, he knew it. He had come this far with so many allies beside him, and now, because of one stupid choice, one stupid reaction, he was going to die alone. His left hand slipped from the pressure, forcing his right arm and shoulder into agony.  
"Souji, I'm sorry! Partner!"  
His hand slipped.

* * *

A cold wind suddenly blew through the room, sending the top few loose envelopes flying. Souji looked up at the clock. By his standards, it was still relatively early to be going to sleep. He returned downstairs, sitting down in his spot by the table, resting his head on his hands. He didn't care how bad it was for his spine. He just wanted to sit and do nothing until the morning came.  
However, he was not so tired as to feel an uncomfortable chill run down his spine at the sound of police and ambulance sirens in the distance. His stomach tightened, and he started crying again.

* * *

 

 

 

* * *

Yosuke fell slightly, but was brought so a sudden halt by a pressure around his arm.  
  
He looked up, and was suprised to find himself looking up at his own reflection.  
"Damnit..." The voice was distorted and warped, but it was recognisably his... or, rather...

His eyes opened, revealing solid yellow irises.

...His Shadow.

"Ugh... are you going to be a pain in the ass as well, or are you going to be easy to save?!"  
"Huh?" Yosuke was confused. Why was his Shadow trying to save him?  
"Your other hand, idiot!" Yosuke clasped his other hand onto his Shadow's wrist, allowing said being to heave him up, just enough so that he could climb up.

He knelt down for a few seconds, panting heavily, before looking up at his Shadow...  
To say he looked pissed would be an understatement.  
"So... _me..._ what the bloody hell are you doing here?"  
Yosuke thought about retorting with a 'backatcha', but thought better of it. "...Why?"  
"Why did I walk all the way up here to save your sorry ass? Why do you think?"  
"..."  
"Ugh... Don't you get it? You die, I die. It's not that difficult to understand."  
"I meant why are you still... here?"  
His Shadow gave him a look.  
"What?"  
"Do you really want me to say it? Because judging by your track record, you won't."  
"Won't what?" Yosuke was legitimately confused, although he had an idea...  
"Put it this way, you were being quite... _vocal_ about your needs earlier." There was no way that vocal stress was by accident.  
"I... I'm not..." The lie was so strong, it was impossible to tell.  
"You can't keep secrets from yourself. All this bullshit about you not being ready, it's just one big excuse!"  
"Excuse? But... I..."  
"You're scared of what others will see about you if you start going out, yeah?"  
"...Yeah."  
"Look at me. Look at us, look at yourself."  
Yosuke gave his shadow a long, hard look. His clothes were no different from the ones he was wearing right now. Well, except a small white stain on them, which he was sure wasn't on his own clothes. His face held the exact same kind determination, his eyes, for the slightest moment, Yosuke could have sworn they were the same as his own.

"I hear all sorts of things around here... and one thing I heard once is that it's only by being honest to eachother and letting others in, that we can find new ways to be ourselves."  
"Be myself?"  
His Shadow smirked, that sadistic, self knowing smirk that only his Shadow could pull off.

* * *

Souji was still sitting at the table when his phone started ringing. He slowly moved his arm so he could check the caller ID. Yosuke Hanamura. He rejected the call, and closed his eyes, dreaming of two realities - that he hadn't said what he said... and Yosuke hadn't reacted how he did. And he cried more.

* * *

Yosuke sat on the bench overlooking the floodplain with the phone in his hands. He glanced out over the water, not sure what to do. Souji wouldn't want to know him anymore, would he? If that rejected call was any indication. He didn't know what to do... should he wait for Souji to recover, or...

Or should he walk over to his house and hope for the best? His arms still ached and his heart still ran at how close he had come to dying earlier... What if he were to die next time? Or worse?

... All of a sudden, the decision became incredibly simple.

Souji heard a knocking at the door. At this time of night, he couldn't be sure who it was. It might have been the real killer, yet...  
Drying his eyes, he walked slowly and cautiously towards the door. He couldn't bear to look through the peephole for more than a moment. Yet, something inside him knew that there would be no ridding him of Yosuke until he opened the door. Gathering all the courage he could muster, he opened the door and glared at his best friend.  
"Yosuke, what do you want."  
"...Partner... I..." He immidiatley noticed Souji's glistening eyes, and something about him told Yosuke... this was his fault.  
"If you've come to apologise, don't bother. You did nothing wrong. Now can you leave me alone?"  
"Bullshit. I have messed up so much-"  
"Spare me the theatrics, Yosuke. Either go, or tell me what you damn. Well. Want."  
Yosuke inhaled, not quite believing he was about to do this. "You."  
Souji looked at him, as if he didn't quite understand. Yosuke checked around behind him once more, before stepping in and grabbing Souji's shoulders. Without warning, he pressed his lips quite firmly to Souji's. He pulled away, reluctantly, but quickly after a moment or two.  
"...If you are trying to-"  
"Souji, shut up and listen to me for a moment." His voice was soft, but authoritive. "This is not a stich up, or an apology, or me trying to make you feel better. This is me being the most selfish asshole I've ever been. I have bottled this up for so long, because I didn't know what it was, or what it meant for me... and I'm sorry partner, but I almost died, and the only thing I could think about was you."  
"..." Souji let out an inquisitive sound, still looking confused.  
"I... I've been thinking about this for a few months now, and when you said you loved me in the other world, I felt ecstatic, and I remembered every second of it... but I was scared, what with how I treated Kanji and all, and I thought that I was dreaming, or it was the fog, or... or you were just saying it because I was dying, because how could you fall in love with me? I mean, you're handsome, you're an amazing guy to be around, you have this determination about you, you have this neverending source of kindness, you're a trouble maker...your face, your hair, your eyes, your voice... and I wondered how I could ever compete with that. And... I was scared that I was going to lose you. So, I'm sorry, Souji, I'm so sorry, but the answer to your question is you. I want you. So, so much."  
With that, he briefly kissed the other again, leaving their foreheads touching, his eyes closed, his arms still clinging onto the other's shoulders.

He felt Souji's arms move, doubtlessly to push him away. However, the shove never came... there was just the continued heavy sound of his breathing.

And then a click.

"Huh?"

Before Yosuke had time to react, his back was slammed against the door, Souji's arms holding him to the frame, and his lips were forced angrily onto Yosuke's. It took him a moment, but Yosuke quickly moved his hands to wrap around Souji's waist and tangle his hand in his hair. Souji took this as a signal to force their jaws open, and rather than going straight into saliva exchange, it felt like Souji was literally trying to breathe him in. Yosuke waited until Souji gave both of them a moment to draw breath before he took the initiative, and pushed onwards. It was almost like very part of their bodies were sliding together, trying to fit together as closely as possible, and closer still. Yosuke thrusting his tongue forward earned him a slight moan from Souji, which he quickly sent back.

Being careful not to dislodge Yosuke's headphones, Souji started trying to take Yosuke's jacket off... judging by the sound Yosuke made... not so much a moan as much as a pleased growl, this was the right thing to do.  
He was made even more sure of this when Yosuke started to take his off as well. Emboldened by Yosuke taking the lead, Souji pulled away again, leading to a disappointed grunt from Yosuke. He drank in the sound of their deep breathing for a moment, feeling himself get a little hard from it, the way the two sounds spiraled and interfered...

After a few seconds, he nestled his head into Yosuke's sholder, inhaling through his nose first.  
"P...Part...ner..."  
"...Right...there... with you... Yo...Yosu...suke."He started to trace patterns on the heated skin with his tongue, leading some lines gently, and pushing down on some areas. His arms were wrapped around his partner's back now, and Yosuke's hands were clawing at the doorframe. He pushed down on one point with his tongue, and Yosuke mewled. Not a groan, not a moan, but a mewl. Nothing had ever felt so empowering.

He gently lowered his mouth down onto the spot, kissing it first. Yosuke certainly sounded appreciative of that, but nothing was so appreciative as the sound he made when Souji started sucking, especially when combined with the fact that he was now actually moving against him, moving into him, trying to make them even closer than they already were. He released Yosuke's neck after a few seconds, but before he had time to fully catch his breath, Yosuke pulled him in for another kiss, a bit more gentle than the previous, before he smirked and pulled away, breathless.  
"S-Souji..."  
"Yeah?" Both of them sounded exhausted.  
"I... think... we should get a room..."  
Souji laughed, a low, happy, breathless sound. "I think I happen to have one... do you want to?"  
Yosuke grinned. "Hell yeah."

* * *

The first thing Yosuke did when they entered the room, whilst Souji was straightening out the futon, was to carefully remove his headphones, placing them and the corresponding MP3 player on Souji's shelves. He shrugged at the other. "I hope you don't mind."  
"Trust me, I don't." Souji was grinning from ear to ear, a strange sort of euphoria eminating from him. Yosuke didn't even pretend to himself that he didn't look the same. "...How long?"  
"...Since we saved Rise."  
"You shouldn't bottle things up like that. No good for your blood pressure."  
"Says you." Yosuke laughed incredulously.  
"Says me." Souji jokingly raised his arms above his head as he took his jacket off.  
Yosuke blushed. He didn't want to ask the question, but someone had to. "So... How far do you wanna go?"  
Souji stared back, a certain look in his eyes, drawing Yosuke in. "As far as you want."  
Yosuke scratched his head, confused. "Which means... what, exactly?"  
"It means..." Souji lay back on the futon, and stared solidly at Yosuke, smirking. "...get your sorry, sexy ass over here."  
"...No, no, no... wait, you're letting me..."  
"Top? Yeah, sure. I need to let someone else lead for once."  
"H-Holy shit... S-Souji..." Laying his already removed - thanks, Souji... jacket down, he walked slowly over... until he stopped, catching a slight nervous flicker in Souji's expression. He was as nervous as Yosuke was. Somehow, the thought made Yosuke's entire body buzz, and he started grinning again, striding confidently over to Souji, laying directly on top of him, nuzzling his partner's neck.  
Souji purred in response, clinging on to Yosuke's back. "You know... I was kind of jealous..."  
"You? Jealous? Hottest thing since sliced bread?" Yosuke was winking, he could tell. Without even seeing, he could tell.  
"I'm flattered. But weren't you trying to get with Yukiko at the beginning of the year?"  
"To hang out, sure. And that didn't exactly last long, if you remember."  
"Shh... No more talking."  
"That's your best idea yet... _leader._ "

The two boys started pushing each other even closer together, Yosuke pulling Souji's head up, and Souji bringing Yosuke's hips down. It was odd. They both thought their first time would be fast, hurried, loud... and here they were, dancing almost, dancing, as cheesy as this sounds, to the beat of each other's hearts. The air was filled with the gentle sounds of breathing, with a few gently grunts and the sounds of clothes rubbing together.

Yosuke let go of Souji's head, moving down to his shirt, unbuttoning the top button. Souji brought his other hand up to kiss him deeper, so Yosuke continued, unbuttoning each button of the shirt as delicatley as possible, tracing his finger over the exposed skin. Souji gently broke off the kiss when he undid the last button.  
"Yours too, partner."  
The way that Souji said 'partner' made Yosuke shudder, and without a second thought, he peeled away his shirt, watching as the other did the same. The feeling of skin against skin sent Yosuke reeling, made him want to just remember nothing but this one moment, made him want to live nothing but this one moment...

And then Souji started grinding again. Yosuke arched upwards, grinding down even further, which in turn, made Souji give a low, guttral groan.

Yosuke looked down at his partner... _his Souji... '_ wow, it felt good to think that'... the dreamiest look on his face, and the most excited look in his eyes. He gently grabbed the other's chin as he pressed down for another kiss... the gentlest they had shared so far, as if they were scared that they were going to lose this moment, that they would wake up, and it would all be a mere dream. It was only in the midst of that long moment of pure, unadulterated compassion that it finally struck them... this was real. This was as real as it got, and nothing was going to take it away.

They broke away again, a thin trail of mixed DNA tying them together.  
"...Souji."  
"...Yosuke... Do you mind if we..."  
Yosuke was confused for a moment, until he realised where his partner's hands were headed. "...You sure?"  
"Yosuke... I've never been more sure of anything in my life. You were my first friend, the first person I grew to depend on... I want you to be my _first_ too. _Partner..._ " His tounge curled around each sound, and he groaned it out, as if the very feeling of him being able to say that word with that exact meaning and in this exact situation made him feel... something that he couldn't quite place his thoughts on.  
"But... I'm... ugh. This sucks. I just... don't know what to do, you know?"  
"You've been doing an amazing job so far."  
Yosuke remained silent, biting his lip nervously, lips twisted upwards in an unconfortable smile.  
"... Okay. Let's just strip ourselves, yeah? I have no idea about how to do this properly."  
Yosuke nodded, turning around onto his backside (something Souji took a moment to admire, being in such close proximity and all), nervously taking off his trousers and boxers, throwing them where the rest of their clothes had gathered. "Okay, I'm ready."  
"...Me too." Souji's voice all of a sudden seemed a lot more nervous than it was before.  
Yosuke closed his eyes, returning himself to his former position of straddling Souji... He felt the skin beneath him shift slightly, and not because Souji was moving.

"You like something down there, partner?"  
"I'm suprised you don't get off looking in a mirror."  
Yosuke felt himself turn bright red. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Souji similarly blushing, but biting his lip and gazing at him - all of him - with a look of pure hunger in his eyes. He allowed his eyes to wonder down, observing every single point of his partners body in unison... Yosuke, mesmorised, started to gently draw patterns on Souji''s thighs, intentionally avoiding... well, I don't need to say it. Souji groaned at the touch, trying to thrust up into it, but Yosuke held him down, keeping the same, gentle rhythm of spirals going, tracing every curve and line of Souji's hips, before sweeping his hands up to stroke the nape of his neck, running his hands down his back, and tracing around his thighs again.  
Souji closed his eyes in rapture, slowly licking his lips, his eyes half-lidded by now. Yosuke found himself repeating the motion, much more shy, nervous and fast.

Souji pulled Yosuke's hips down onto his, letting their heated members meet. The instantanoeus friction made both of them groan, closing their eyes. It was the only thing that was needed - now that he had gotten the momentum going, he was more than happy to cling onto Yosuke's back as they both instinctivley moved in a rhythmic, circular motion, pulling eachother in. Every rotation was punctuated by a small kiss on Yosuke's part, which Souji worked to match up to. The entire room was warm from the moment they entered, despite it's normal slightly-cold state, and it was now growing flat out hot, causing their entire bodies to sweat, replacing the heated friction into a slick sliding, allowing them to move faster, as if they were physically mixing together, an assorted variety of noises resounding throughout the small room, both boys drinking in the sounds and the feelings of finally being so close.

They wrapped themselves around each other, starting to tentativley taste each others skin, Yosuke slowly getting more and more bold with his movements and actions, starting to nip gently at his partner's neck, which only encouraged Souji to increase the speed of his own motion, his eyes unfocusing completley. All four of their eyes were almost completley closed by now, their minds getting lost within the pure overwhelming tide of emotion, the only thing they were focusing on otherwise was their almost-lovers happiness and pleasure. Before long, they were starting to drip precome, almost binding them together, yet still allowing enough movement for them to continue their gentle sliding, both of them starting to feel intense pleasure build up in and around their... well, crotch.

"S-Souji... I'm... a-almost there!"  
"Right... There... With... You..."  
Both of them increased in tempo as their self control grew more and more frayed and scant, clinging on to each other as if letting go would seperate them forever.

"S-S-Souji!"

Yosuke finished first, coming all over Souji, scattering both their stomachs with a patchwork of white, and his entire body locked as he felt a feeling of intense euphoria overpower every single limb in is body, causing them to spasm in a bizzare symphony. This only lasted a moment, however, as, still in orgasm, Yosuke resumed his grinding, his movement more frantic and desperatle, until he finally felt the warmth of Souji's release, and heard a broken half-moan half-purr, which only sent him even more over the edge.

Yosuke finally collapsed on top of Souji, not caring if their semen mixed together and dried - nothing could diminish the power of this moment, that he had finally gotten exactly what he wanted - a lover that was kind, compassionate and... well... sexy.  
After bathing in the afterglow for a moment, Souji reached around to some unseen point on the bedside table next to him, grabbing something off it. It took Yosuke a moment to realise that they were tissues, and Souji was cleaning them up - Yosuke first.  
"...You prepared for this?"  
Souji laughed. "Well, they're really there because I used be succeptable to nose bleeding... still am, a little... but... well, I've hoped for a while I'd be able to use them on you." He blushed, heavily.  
"Don't worry about it partner." Yosuke laughed a little too, lifting himself up so Souji could get all of him.  
"I didn't think the view would be _this_ good, though."  
"It looks pretty good from here, too, Souji."  
"I don't hear you say my name often enough."  
"I'm sure you'll be hearing it more often."  
Souji smiled, trying to hide the excitement in his features, the unbridled happiness of finally having all of his tension resolved.  
"Oh, and Souji?"  
"Yeah, Partner?"  
He leant down to whisper. "I love you."  
Souji whispered back into Yosuke's ear, pulling him into a cuddle, feeling tired, and whispered the same sentence back...

* * *

The light shone through the curtains, which, in combination with his alarm clock, woke him up pretty early. Instantly, he felt dissapointment and upset... was it all a dream? The cover was pulled over him, and Yosuke was nowhere to be seen.  
He was just about ready to lie back down and start crying again, right then and there, but something stopped him.

"Mornin'." Yosuke was suddenly standing in the doorway, hair tousled all over the place, carrying two glasses of orange juice. But what really caught Souji's attention was the fact that Yosuke was wearing his shirt.

As in Souji's shirt. And the top few buttons were undone.

...That shouldn't have looked so sexy, but it did, damnit.  
"...So that wasn't a dream."  
"Something tells me it wasn't. I remember how you told me your uncle gets about others making the coffee, so... well, I rooted around the fridge a bit, and, well..."  
"It's okay. Just about what I needed at this point in the morning anyway."  
Yosuke let out a relieved breath, his nervous smile finally turning into something more earnest. He placed the two glasses down beside the bed, and knelt down beside it. "So... you enjoyed last night?"  
"Duh, of course I did."  
"Even the bit where I carried on-"  
" _Especially_ that part, I loved that."  
Yosuke sighed happily again, wistful. "Good."  
"So... does that mean we're an item now?"  
"An item?"  
Souji looked conflicted for a second. "What I mean to ask is... will you go out with me?"  
A light laugh. "Souji, I had _sex_ with you last night, we've been basically dating for months... I think I'm comfortable enough with this -" He gestured between the two of them "- to go out with you... _boyfriend._ "  
Souji exhaled, sounding half giddy and half elated at hearing that word. "Boyfriend? I think I like how that sounds."  
"As much as Partner?"  
"No." Souji looked at Yosuke, completley serious.

They sat there for a moment, simply looking at eachother, a warm feeling spreading over them, as if everything between them was finally in the open.

"So... It's Sunday." Yosuke knew Souji almost always had plans.  
"That it is."  
"Got any plans?"  
"Nothing important. Nothing I couldn't heartlessly throw away to spend a day with my new boyfriend."  
Yosuke looked almost shocked at how willing Souji was to forget all the pain he had caused last night. "Well, maybe I could take you out to see a movie or something..." He blushed at the thought.  
Souji smiled even wider, moving an arm to grab Yosuke's shoulder. "You could."  
"Or I could take you out for dinner..."  
"That's an option." He started to pull Yosuke up towards him.  
"We could just laze around all day." Yosuke gladly raised himself off of his knees to get closer.  
"I'm down with that. Or, maybe we could just get into Round Two right now."  
"...I like the sound of that." He started moving slightly faster, not willing to break the romantic sanctity of the moment. He moved back to straddling Souji, their lips were moments away from touching...

"Souji?"

The two froze. They totally did not hear Dojima open the door and walk in, it was totally a figment of their imagination...

"You awake?"

Nope. They definitley weren't dreaming.  
"Get in the closet!" Souji was thinking as fast as he could. After that whole thing last night, he really didn't want that awkwardness around. Never mind the questions about what they had done that Dojima would more than likley ask.  
Yosuke, on the other hand, looked somewhere between panicked and confused. "What closet?!"  
"Shit... er... the futon! Hide under the futon!"  
"Understood... you better get rid of him, though."  
The two sprang off the futon in a matter of seconds, Souji trying to find some way of making himself look presentable.  
Dojima was knocking on the door. "Is it okay for me to come in?" Souji had wrapped one of the bedsheets around himself. It was crude, but it would have to do. He made an affirmative noise, sounding as calm as possible.

"...Why are you not wearing..."  
"It was warm last night."  
"In the middle of winter?"  
"It was strange, but yeah, it was really warm."  
"It was cold in the hospital..."  
"It's always cold in the hospital!"  
"... Well, I've been let out for an hour or two to get some air. You want coffee?"  
"...Er... yeah?"  
"Hanamura?"  
Souji could have sworn that Dojima got a kick out of seeing all the colour drain from his nephew's face.  
Yosuke pushed up, poking his head out, glaring at his boyfriend's back. Slowly, Souji turned around to look at his partner's (Jokingly) pissed expression.

"Busted."

* * *

 

After Dojima left to get the coffee, although it was more so to give the two enough time to get changed, Souji immidiatley started apologising profusley to Yosuke.  
"Nah, don't sweat it. Rather him than my parents."  
"Why? You know he's going to ask some really awkward questions, right?"  
"Yeah, but you're forgetting something."  
Souji looked on, curious as he tried to wrangle his trousers.  
"My parents _own_ the gossip well."

* * *

 

"See? That wasn't so bad."  
"Seriously? Having to flat out admit that I lost my virginity last night isn't embarrasing?!"  
"Nope... not really."  
"To your uncle?"  
Yosuke just smiled mischeviously.  
Souji took one look at that smile, and he somehow seemed to feel a lot better. "Sorry."  
"'S okay. So... _partner..._ we still on for that date? I have a few ideas."  
"... I guess you owe me one for that bullcrap last night."  
Yosuke laughed again. "I guess I do. Oh, and Souji?"  
"What?"  
"There'll be plenty of time for Round Two later."  
Souji blushed, but he couldn't bring himself to disagree.


End file.
